Our own five senses—the “gateways to healing,” as they are referred to in Ayurveda—are very powerful tools for promoting health and wellbeing. They allow us to use everything around us as medicine.
This week, we’ll dive into the world of Sound. (We previously looked at Sight.)
On this relaxation day, let’s all try to reduce our stress levels as much as we can by keeping calm and taking a break. And on a break, do these 10 things!
Having a fear of flying isn’t fun. I can tell you this firsthand as it’s something I’ve struggled with for the past 12 years. I don’t know exactly when or why I started to panic during takeoff or turbulence, my hands gripping the armrests, my palms sweaty.
From the chaos of the creative impulse came the birth of the Devi goddess of all—Saraswati. She is the Mother of art, music, wisdom, and knowledge.
If you’re excited about spring being in full effect (who isn’t?), you’re probably looking for some fun activities to do to celebrate warmer seasons being on the horizon. So, let’s ring in spring by engaging in some April-themed activities, especially ones that involve getting outdoors, for both you and your family! Don’t let the chirping birds and blossoming flowers hog all the sunshine!
When we think about music composition, we’re often thinking about the finished product – the final song – rather than the process itself. But composing music is a powerful tool of humanity that can improve one’s own life as well as the lives of others. There are numerous health benefits to composing music.
Let’s take a closer look at one musician’s process, and then reflect on the health benefits that emerge from it.
No matter how happy-go-lucky you may be, bad days still happen to the best of us, but you must not let these natural occurrences get the best of you. Instead of letting life’s minor irritations make you moody, immerse yourself in some of these positive activities that will quickly turn that frown upside down! Occasionally waking up on the “wrong side” of the bed is unavoidable, if unfortunate, but, with a few tips on what to do, you can keep it from ruining your whole day.
Perhaps you have heard of the Solfeggio scale of frequencies. Perhaps they are still fairly new to you. I was first introduced to this concept by a musician friend of mine who had learned of this ancient six-tone scale through a friend. Old world music such as the Gregorian Chants, Mozart and other early composers, as well as early mathematicians and philosophers like Pythagoras and Socrates, were keen to the Solfeggio scale and its mysteries.
You’ve seen the classes before. They’re often listed as “Rock ‘n’ Roll Yoga” or another less zen-sounding name. Personally, I teach classes called “Namaslay” and “That Asana Though,” one with a rock playlist and the other featuring rap and hip hop. Of course, listening to pop music while working on your flow is far from traditional. It’s certainly not what the original practitioners of yoga envisioned when they came up with the asanas! However, almost nobody practices yoga in modern times like it was originally practiced. That’s okay!
Sound has the profound ability to affect and alter our disposition, our perspective and how we carry ourselves. We have all experienced that mood-altering moment when our favorite song comes on and we cannot help but bop our head and sing along. It lifts us up and we feel the positive, oftentimes euphoric, effect of the music. “It’s a beautiful day”, or “I have so much to look forward to” are thoughts that may rise in our consciousness. In contrast, perhaps another song comes on next; a song that brings up heavy feelings of sadness and we feel the immediate shift move through our bodies.